According to Cervélo, in addition to adding disc brake capabilities to S3 Disc, they were able to increase stiffness to both the headtube and bottom brackett area by 8% and 9% respectively, while also optimizing tube profiles in order to gain further aerodynamic gain. Moreover, the company claims to have decreased weight by 40g as well.

The new S3 Disc uses 12mm thru-axles front and rear, along with reshaped fork, which now provides room for up to 25mm tires.

Additionally, the rear triangle of the S3 Disc has also been completely redesigned, which now features newly shaped seatstays and chainstays that borrow heavily from their flagship RCA frameset.

Lastly, the S3 Disc makes use of Cervélo’s Dropped Downtube design for improved airflow, along with its Future-Proofed cable routing system, which features internal cables and hoses that enter the side of the down tube, along with Di2 battery storage that’s located inside the down tube – with access through the bottom bracket guide mounting hole.

“We’ve taken everything that makes the S3 such an aero class leader and made it stronger, stiffer and ultimately, faster,” says Cervélo. “Cervélo only launches a new bike when significant performance gains have been made, and by integrating our disc-brake technologies into the world championship-winning S3 we have done exactly that.

“The S3 Disc is stiffer and more aerodynamic than its rim-brake counterpart while continuing to make the most of the lightweight design rooted in our Project California research facility. All of this translates to superior handling and control, giving you the confidence to pull away from the peloton or put the hurt on a Saturday morning group ride.”

The new S3 Disccomes in two builds options – $4,500 for Ultegra 6800 and $7,400 for Ultegra Di2 6870.

A completely redesigned chassis combines new, more robust airfoil sections with a rear triangle borrowed from our revolutionary Rca road frame. Our Dropped Downtube enhances frame stiffness while the flattened trailing edge makes bottles an integral part of the bike’s airfoil design. Overall improvements focus on all the perks you want in a workhorse of a bike: Future-Proof cables allow for easy set up of internal electronic, mechanical, or hydraulic shifting and braking lines.

AERODYNAMICSThe all-new S3 Disc fork features a re-engineered leg airfoil that’s 19g (~2 watts) faster than an equivalent S3 fork. The disc braking system also allowed our engineers to raise the fork crotch to reduce the low pressure zone behind the crown, while widening the stance of the legs to better blend with the caliper-mounting area and fine-tune interactions with the front wheel.

STIFFNESSRe-engineered seatstays and chainstays, inspired by the Cervélo R3 Disc, have been optimized to work in tandem with the disc brakes to provide the best possible control and handling. New rear drop-outs, meanwhile, use 12mm thru-axle technology to improve performance still further, while creating a stable and stiff wheel-to-frame junction and yielding better brake alignment. As with our other disc platforms, this increases stiffness in the back end, leading to better handling in corners. We’ve also boosted bottom-bracket stiffness on the S3 Disc for better handling and power transfer to the pedals.

USABILITYA redesigned cable routing system takes the signature side-entry cable routing system of the S3 and incorporates a new style of left-side entry to accommodate the hydraulic hose while providing a tidy access point for wired electronic shifting systems. Just one more detail to which Cervélo has paid careful attention. We also imported the internal battery mounting feature from the Cervélo S5 in order to better conceal the Shimano Di2 battery inside the downtube, with access through the bottom-bracket cable guide mounting hole.